I have heard of wikis before, but this is the first week that I really gained an understanding and appreciation for the affordances for a wiki. I seem to say this about every platform that we explore in this course... but I had never heard of PBWorks before this week.
PBWorks is a wiki. Just like other wikis, PBWorks allows online collaboration. PBWorks provides products organized into Hubs depending on the need for the wiki (Agency, New Business, Legal, Project, Business, Wiki, Education) It works for large companies, small businesses, educational institutions, or anything in between. PBWorks allows groups to collaborate to share work and contribute to projects. Every change or update can be tracked and provide a group notification to keep everyone working on the same page.
I liked that PB Works EDUHub has some basic features and templates that can be used to create and support a classroom. There a template for a syllabus, assignments, activity tracking, and many more. The activity tracker specifically allows everyone on the wiki to see a running list of what is being done. This was my favorite feature, and would likely be what I use most.
I can see using a wiki when assigning group work to my students. Because this tool is so collaborative, it helps to ensure that everyone has the same information, and that everyone can see the progress of the project. Likewise, I as the teacher can see the effort of each student. I could assign a group project researching a country and give each group a wiki to help them organize their work. Each student can take a separate part of the research and presentation and while they are working individually, they can keep the group updated on progress and findings as the whole project comes together.
The theory of connectivism is definitely written all over the design of EDUHub, and any other wiki. Since people process information by forming connections, collaboration is a major way to increase learning. This theory discusses how learning increases with the use of technology and when information can be shared with people.
